The main card opener for UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs Sakai in Vegas is set to witness a Featherweight scrap. Brain Kelleher will face off against newcomer Kevin Natividad in what promises to be an exciting back and forth battle. Both fighters are keen to build-off momentum despite the clear differences in their experience facing high-level competition.
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Chiefly, “Boom” Kelleher was supposed to face Ricky Simon before the latter tested positive for COVID-19 and was swiftly removed. In came Natividad who is keen to make a name for himself off of Brian Kelleher’s stacked UFC resume. Additionally, news surfaced that Kevin “Quicksand” would have to be withdrawn from the scrap after a positive test. The follow-up indicated it to be a false positive.
UFC Featherweight’s: Brain Kelleher vs Kevin Natividad
Brain Kelleher has show to be a consistent force in the cage with three appearances in the books for 2020. Additionally, he’s been keen to mint a new legacy at 145-pounds after temporarily leaving behind the Bantamweight division. He has gone 2-1 in 2020 with two fights during his COVID-19 era run in the promotion via Sherdog.
Additionally, he has shown to carry forward his power after moving up a weight class as displayed by his recent fights. Moreover, Kelleher was arguably one of the hardest punchers in the division who supplemented his power with a granite chin. Having earned finishes in his recent victories, momentum will certainly by on Brain’s side.
Kevin Natividad has a massive opportunity to put the division on notice with a statement performance over a veteran. Chiefly, he hasn’t allowed his relatively underdeveloped resume to define his performances when the cage door closes.
Natividad will have to be cautious of “Boom” Kelleher’s ability to walk his opponent onto massive power shots. Moreover, Kevin has the tendency to drop his hands when trying to chain together combinations and that could cost him dearly. A safe pick would be to bank on Brian Kelleher’s certified 3-round cardio and to a greater degree, his thunderous punching power.
Prediction: Brian Kelleher to claim a second-round finish (KO/TKO)
Also Watch: UFC Vegas 9: Overeem vs Sakai – Preview
